I love Sundays in the fall. I generally spend more time in the kitchen baking or cooking up something than I normally would when the weather is warmer. The sounds and smells of a Sunday afternoon are sort of calming to me...football games, fireplace crackling and the aroma of a delicious meal cooking on the stove. Those are the things that remind of me of my childhood. I remember coming back inside the house after raking and jumping in piles of leaves with my brothers and sister, to the amazing smells of my mom making meatballs and tomato sauce and my dad watching the football game on TV. We always ate dinner together and often times my grandparents were there to join us. I love the fact that certain foods can trigger such powerful memories. It was a much simpler time when I was a child, but my hope is that my children will also have fond memories of Sunday meals and special traditions when they look back.
This eggplant meatball recipe is one of those special meals I love to cook on a Sunday. While my husband and I choose to eat vegetarian, I still cook meat occasionally for my kids. They love traditional meatballs, but this vegetarian version is really quite incredible as well. They are so good, I'm not sure why I waited so long to share them with you!
I'm all about making a recipe as simple as possible, while at the same time getting the most flavor out of it. Similar recipes involve roasting the eggplant in the oven and scooping out the flesh, but I find chopping and sautéing it to be much easier and quicker. And although meat lovers may turn up their noses, I can tell you that the addition of the mushrooms to this recipe delivers a light earthy, umami flavor that won't leave you missing meat!
I thought using dried porcini mushrooms would be the perfect match for this recipe because a small amount provides a lot of flavor, without too much moisture. Dried mushrooms can be found in any local Italian market, and some supermarkets carry them as well. If you're not familiar with using dried mushrooms, it's really quite simple. They just need to be soaked in a bit of hot water to reconstitute them. The broth that is created when soaking is very flavorful and so I used some of it to cook the eggplant.
Once the eggplant is cooked, I add it to a food processor along with the mushrooms, some white beans, parsley and some chopped garlic. The mixture is tossed in a large bowl with breadcrumbs, an egg and some pecorino romano cheese. If you can't find dried mushrooms, you can substitute any type of mushroom really, but you may have to play around with the amounts you use and therefore the breadcrumb mixture so that you get the correct consistency for forming a meatball.
The meatballs come together nicely and are put onto a baking sheet to bake for about 25 minutes until they are golden and slightly crisped.
You can add the cooked meatballs to your favorite tomato sauce and cover them with some fresh basil and cheese. I serve them along side pasta of course, but they'd be amazing on some Italian style bread or eaten alone. Either way, your next Sunday meal is sure to be a hit with these meatballs!
What Sunday meals were special to you as a child and what type of memories do they bring back? I'd love to know!
Eggplant and Poricini Mushroom "Meatballs"
Ingredients
- 1 lb 500 g eggplant (about 1 medium size) skin on chopped into 1 in. pieces
- 1 cup white beans
- 1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 egg beaten
- 10 g .35 oz dried porcini mushrooms + ½ cup warm water to reconstitute
- reserve ¼ cup porcini mushroom water once reconstituted
- ¼ cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese + more for topping
- cooking spray
- handful fresh parsley and basil
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- pepper
- * favorite tomato sauce optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Place mushrooms in a small bowl with the warm water for about 15 minutes and set aside.
- Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan and sauté the mushrooms with ¼ of the mushroom water.
- Add a dash of salt, pepper and and sauté until golden and tender about 8-10 min.
- Separately, roast the eggplant on the baking sheet and toss with a bit of cooking spray until golden and soft about 12-15 min.
- Once the eggplant/mushrooms are cooked, transfer them to the bowl of a food processor along with beans, parsley, garlic and the reconstituted mushrooms.
- Pulse a few times just until ingredients are blended and pieces are very small. *do not over blend.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add egg, breadcrumbs and pecorino romano cheese.
- With your hands or a soft spatula, gently mix all ingredients together.
- Form the mixture into balls slightly smaller than the size of the palm of your hand (yields about 10-12).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.
- Remove from oven and serve with your favorite tomato sauce or pasta.
- Garnish with basil, extra parsley and cheese.
I prefer to focus on quality ingredients from a variety of sources that work in tandem to promote optimal health. Nutrition calculations may not reflect these valuable interactions. However, I understand certain values can be helpful to some. Please note these calculations are merely estimates. Values will vary depending on modifications, brands used, and portion size. Should you require specific information, it's best to consult with a dietitian or qualified healthcare provider.
Emilie @ The Clever Carrot says
Amazing! These looks so delicious, I can just tell how soft and fluffy they are. I have eggplant in the fridge, and all I need now are some porcini mushrooms. Going on the list! Thanks for sharing! xx
Donna Castellano says
You're so right...they are fluffy yet slightly crisp on the outside! Perfect combo right? Hope you enjoy them!
Kelly @ Inspired Edibles says
Gorgeous recipe Donna - I love all of the satisfying flavours and textures you've incorporated into this meal and am especially fond of mushroom and beans in plant based balls. Also enjoying the beautiful pops of colour in your photography! So warming and pleasing to the eye. Cheers to Sunday aromas and memories, x
Donna Castellano says
Funny you mention it Kelly, the photography was a challenge this week. The sun goes down so early and so quickly now, I almost wasn't able to photograph these meatballs. As you can see in the last pick, things were getting challenging...haha! Because they are made with fresh ingredients and from veggies, the meatballs are so satisfying and you just feel good after eating them. Thank you so much for the kind words.
Julia | Orchard Street Kitchen says
Wow, I must make these immediately! I've never made veggie meatballs before, but I'm sure I would love them. And what a great idea to cook the eggplant in the mushroom broth to get some more of that wonderful umami flavor. Have you ever frozen these before? I'm trying to do more of that lately.
I loved reading about your memories of Sundays growing up. I can picture (and smell) it all in my head now! There's nothing better than cooking and baking on a crisp fall day - such a relaxing way to end the week.
Donna Castellano says
I agree Julia it is relaxing and cooking brings family together which is so important, especially in the world we live in today. I've never frozen them before, but I can't see why that wouldn't work. Problem is, we usually eat them before there is anything left to freeze...haha!
traci | vanilla and bean says
I was so excited to see your recipe Donna, for several reasons... I love veggie meatballs, one and you've got one of my fave. ingredients!! Porcini!! No doubt they are like flavor busters anytime I use them. So earthy and well worth waiting for them to soak. I can't wait to give these a go! Here's to fall and spending more time in the kitchen! The beeest! I think your setting a good example for your kiddos. Good for you and your hubs!!
Donna Castellano says
Thank you Traci! We love anything with eggplant and mushrooms! And the porcini isn't overwhelming, it's just enough to bring the right amount of "earthiness" to the meatballs. I hope you like them 🙂
Katrina says
Seriously in love with these!! Such a fancy and creative meal!
Donna Castellano says
Thanks Katrina! And I'm loving your blog! Thanks for stopping by!
Annette Cook says
This recipelooks amazing and I can't wait to try it. Should #4 say cook eggplant I. 1/4 of mushroom water?
Donna Castellano says
Yes thank you!! Hope you like them!!
Donna Castellano says
Hi! Sorry line #4 should have read cook the eggplant AND mushrooms... thought i fixed that while ago. Hope you give it another try.
Elizabeth M Vaske says
I have to admit I was a little worried these would be a healthier but not near as tasty ‘meatball’ and I am SHOCKED by how amazing they are. I couldn’t even wait to write this review, I’m just finishing the last bites. They are the perfect texture with just the right amount of flavor, and actually quite east to make. I usually follow recipes like they are a ‘suggestion’ but I followed this one pretty much exactly as I hadn’t tried anything like this before, but I don’t see any reason to diverge in the future. Thanks so much!
Donna Castellano says
I only do tasty Elizabeth haha!! It is amazing how incredible vegetables can be isn't it?! Thanks so much for taking the time to write the awesome review! So glad you enjoyed. xoxo
Anonymous says
Sorry for the confusion Jenna. The mushrooms are dried mushrooms, so basically you are just reconstituting them first then sautéing them with a little of the water you used to reconstitute them and setting aside. Then separately you are roasting the eggplant. Once both those things are done (as suggested in line 7) you can add them to the food processor. I also updated some of the wording in the recipe to make it less confusing. 🙂 I hope that helps. If not, please let me know! Thanks for writing in!